Today, Senator Cory Booker endorsed Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes for the U.S. Senate, calling him “exactly what working families need in this moment.”
Here’s what they’re saying:
The Capital Times: Cory Booker backs Mandela Barnes in crowded Wisconsin Senate primary
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A former presidential candidate, Booker said Barnes is “a game changer” and “he’s exactly what working families need in this moment.”
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Booker is the third former presidential candidate to endorse Barnes, joining Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Eric Swalwell of California.
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“Mandela’s story is only possible here in America,” Booker said of Barnes. “It shows how hard work, faith and opportunity can transform a family and a community.”
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He continued: “In the Senate, Mandela will champion opportunity, accountability and justice, the way he has always done. He’ll expand opportunities for working people, stand up for good union jobs and protect the right to vote.”
The Hill: Booker endorses Mandela Barnes in Wisconsin Senate race
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Booker called Barnes a “game changer,” adding that he is “exactly what working families need in this moment.”
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Booker is the latest high-profile political figure to formally support Mandela’s candidacy. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have both endorsed the lieutenant governor.
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Barnes has emerged as an early front-runner in the crowded primary field, in which 12 Democrats are vying for the party’s nomination. The winner will likely take on Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who announced on Sunday that he will run for reelection after vowing in 2016 to only seek two terms in the upper chamber.
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An internal poll released by the Barnes campaign on Friday found that the lieutenant governor has a 29-point lead over Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry and a 30-point lead over Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski.
